Dear Tribute: How to Survive in the Arena
by JonB-asl-c-w
Summary: Well, you just got reaped. Hooray for you. You're struggling to survive as people watch in earnest for your bloody, gruesome death. Hopefully, this letter from me, your mentor, will help in the way that you're not struggling as much. It explains what to do with allies, what to do at training, and how to survive.


Dear Tribute,

Well, congratulations, you just got reaped, or you volunteered. Even if you're a Career, among the others, you stand about a fifty-fifty chance of winning. This stuff here is advice so you won't get yourself killed.

The very first thing, and one of the most important things, is to decide an angle. You might have to adapt - if you were all mopey and teary after you got reaped, you're gonna have to play it off. If that's the case, be the sensitive, caring type that's willing to please. If not, try other ways. If you got looks, play it sexy. Brains? Play it witty. Brawn? Ruthless.

Now that you've got that figured out, let's move on to training.

Wait first. When they allow you to start, just watch where everybody goes first. Where do the lesser tributes go? How do the Careers act? I can't emphasize it enough - learn everybody's weakness. The girl from 6 has a crush on someone? Crush her heart. Tell her that her crush is either plotting to kill her or made an alliance and didn't invite her. You might even want to help her, to put her in your debt - to take advantage of her. Distract her from winning. After all, everybody plays to win.

One thing you have to do is keep below the radar. Don't overdo it, though - seem weak, but not the omega of the pack. Although, you may have to impress some people if you want allies. What you need to do is start with the basic survival skills - plant idenitification, trap setting, shelter building, fire starting, camoflauge... if you show you're skilled, then more people are likely to sponsor you. Then after, work with weapons. Projectile stuff might help you - you know, throwing knives, bow and arrows, etc. Learn the basics of EVERYTHING you can find, then start developing multiple preferences. You can't be picky. If you find a weapon in the arena but it's not your forte, deal with it.

Allies? Forget 'em. Unless you're sure you can't do it alone, don't commit yourself to anyone. One tip: ally yourself with someone you can't stand. Despise, hate, want to murder, all of these are good traits for an ally. That way, it'll be easier to backstab them (we'll get to that later). What NOT to do is to try and weave through multiple alliances at once. It may seem clever, and even start out well, but it'll crumble at its foundation and you'll die. In this case, less is more.

If you're not the fighting type, ally yourself with a good fighter with not much survival skills. But first, plan out lies in case you need to prove you're valuable - for example, tell him you knew almost all types of poisonous plants back home, or that you know a lot about first aid and can help him or her if they're injured. If you ARE the fighting type, it's preferred you fly solo, but if you really want to feel safe at night, you can ally. Ally with someone that know something you don't know. Can't hunt? Get the boy from eight with a knack for archery.

As for training scores, aim for a mediocre score, so as not to draw any attention to yourself. If you're score is too weak, people will think you're easy picking - which is bad. Like I said before, middle of the pack.

Keep in mind that at the Cornucopia, you're potential ally may die. If you want, you can keep them privy to what I'm about to tell you.

Now, you're in the arena. Whether it's a burning desert, or a thick jungle, or an icy tundra, this plan is nearly foolproof. No matter who's near you, you can survive this.

The gong rings. Everyone either runs for their mommas, or goes towards the center for good supplies. You are too, but you'll be running DIAGONALLY. You'll slip past anyone who might want to kill you, and when you scoop up a weapon or pack, you'll already be running, so you won't have to slow down. Then, distance yourself from the Cornucopia. Not too much, not too little. But pick a good place to hide. (NOTE: if there's no cover, just run and put as much ground between you and everyone else)

Watch how the rest of the bloodbath plays out. Fetch your ally if you must. But ONLY as a last resort. See who dies, who makes it. You might have to change your strategy based on this. This might seem morbid, but how do the Careers kill? It might give you an insight on their personality and how to manipulate it.

Now everything should be calming down. People have died. The Careers are either hoarding the rest of the supplies or combing the surrounding areas. If they started combing, run. Run as fast and as QUIETLY as you can. Don't alert any other tributes or mutts or natural predators. Find a water source, and worry about shelter after. You can go a couple of weeks without food (varies), but you'll die in days without water. (TIPS: check the clouds for precipitation - snow can MELT into water: water runs downhill: get up in a tall tree and check if there's only one water source and if that's the case, get as much as you can)

Now just hide out for a bit, and spy on other, more conspicious tributes. If you can, steal from the Careers as they leave their camp periodically - just a little bit of everything, so as not to arouse suspicion. When you were at the training center, I will have urged you to expilicitly studied tracking - for other tributes and wild animals. This way, you can see who went where, whose territory you might have stumbled into.

Remember, trust your senses. If you hear a rhythmic hum, occasionally look up for the possibility of tracker jackers, or something. Natural deaths are the most common deaths in the history of the Games.

Now, let's see. You've managed to survive to the Final Eight. You've avoided any unnecessary skirmishes and encountered some to no resistance. Here is that hard part.

Remember when I told you that you could ally yourself with someone? Kill them. Immediately, point-blank. I don't care if it's in their sleep. You can't just ditch him or her. They'll remember you and try to kill you. Your life is more important than theirs right now. You may want to scoot ever-so closer to any action, but don't - please, listen here, - get directly INVOLVED with the action. What about indirectly, you say? I'm getting to that.

Now, more and more tributes are fighting. The Gamemakers may have let loose hell with natural disasters. My advice? HAVE A FAIL-SAFE. Emergency exits in you shelter(s), secret stash of supplies somewhere ELSE in the woods, make a scapegoat or diversion out of anyone who tries to ally with you, and so on. Only when there are you and one other tribute left will you ever get your hands dirty.

Most likely, it's you and a Career. Not good, huh? HIDE. HIDE FAR AWAY. But here's the catch - have a shelter that far away, but camp out in random locations in the woods. You might even want to try and trick the other tribute by now and set off several fires in different locations to confuse them. If, at that point, you see an opportunity to kill that person (not a small chance, but a surefire way of winning), you must kill that person.

If it's someone who doesn't have good survival skills, try and weaken them by cutting off their supply. If the other tribute leaves their camp, steal not a little bit, but ALL of their food. All of their weapons, too. As much as you can carry. It may take several trips. A good idea is to sink most of it in a lake or river, and take what you might want.

Trying to starve him or her out may be dangerous. If you can, it may be good to do this before it's just down to the two of you. Otherwise, you can bet the audience is getting antsy, and the Gamemakers decide to spice it up. Mutts, natural disasters, anything. I hope you're a light sleeper, 'cuz you can bet your socks it'll happen when you're the least prepared.

Let's say the Gamemakers bring you and your opponent together. If you're totally outclassed, run for the hills. One thing I recommend - set traps all throughout the arena and check on them bi-daily at least. If a tribute is trapped in it, kill them. While your last opponent is chasing you, hope and pray they get caught on something.

If you know you have at least a fifty-fifty chance of beating this tribute in a fight, go for it. Fighting is risky, though. Both of you are in a fighting mentality - since you both have made it this far, you both are willing to do anything to end it as quickly as possible. One thing that may give you a hint on where they're going, watch their torso, especially their hips, since that's the last part to move. Don't focus too much thought on it though, a flick of the wrist and an ax might wind up in your cerebral cortex. Aim for vital points, try to outsmart them. Never wait too long for them to make the first move. If you are in a staredown, he or she is most likely waiting for you to do something.

The rest, my friend, is up to you. I hope you make it.

Happy Hunger Games,  
From, your mentor.

* * *

Wowwie! This took a lot longer than I expected! A lot of this is based off a strategy I used in a fake Hunger Games. I tried allying myself with everyone, and it collapsed and I had to ditch everything but a foam weapon in my hand. I made sixth place out of about fifteen. Not fun. My friend literally stabbed me in the back, and the rest of the party, I was at the Gamemakers' tent, brooding and occasionally muttering "sixth place? WTF!". The worst part is the girl who killed me WILLINGLY sacrificed herself because she didn't want to fight 'cuz it was too competitive. "DUDE! YOU _COULD'VE _WAITED, YOU KNOW!" I shrieked after. "NOW I OWE MY MOM FIVE BUCKS BECAUSE I DIDN'T MAKE IT TO THE FINAL THREE!"T_T Though, I guess it IS Karma, since I backstabbed a boy from One.

Well, anyways, this is my new polished strategy for y'all Hunger Games nerds (including me).

P.S. I recommend you people host a mock Hunger Games. It's oodles of fun, even if you get killed. Then you get to watch everybody kill each other. Invite your friends, your family, anyone willing to swing around a weapon - within limits, of course (our rule was if you took two hits - either to the head, torso, or thighs, you're dead, but otherwise, that body part was "stunned" for ten minutes - then you'd be killed).

HAPPY HUNGAH GAMES!


End file.
